[mahajanrahul]

deleted

 

[PopcornAddict]

   
I hope everyone doesn't handle their headphones like that guy.  They should put another logo on the box: "NO MANHANDLING!"

 

 
Btw, if I recall correctly, you had the 598SE's right? Do you mind giving me a general comparison on the treble, mids and overall brightness against the X2's (or link if you/someone already have/has compared their trebles)? Just curious because I had both cans at one point, but like I mentioned earlier, mine were the extremely muddy and recessed X2's from 2khz and up, so it wasn't really reliable..

 

[Hammy]

 

 
Btw, if I recall correctly, you had the 598SE's right? Do you mind giving me a general comparison on the treble, mids and overall brightness against the X2's (or link if you/someone already have/has compared their trebles)? Just curious because I had both cans at one point, but like I mentioned earlier, mine were the extremely muddy and recessed X2's from 2khz and up, so it wasn't really reliable..

 
I have the original sedan-coloured 598s.  Here are some of my original posts soon after hearing the X2.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723025/philips-fidelio-x2/7305#post_12165313
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723025/philips-fidelio-x2/7305#post_12165395
http://www.head-fi.org/t/541039/sennheiser-hd-598-impressions-thread/5370#post_12168134
 
I had a quick look over my words and still pretty much agree with my initial impressions.  I actually listened to the 598 again last night and almost fell off my seat at how forward the mids were compared to the X2, it's kind of like the singer is shouting at you in comparison.  I still prefer the treble on the 598 simply because I find it a little harsh on the X2 (sssibilance), but I suspect I am either sensitive to it or my E10K is not the best pairing.  I suppose the treble is less refined on the 598 but also more rolled off.
 
The problem is that the X2 should sound recessed in the mids compared to the Senns, but not to the point of being muddy.  Hard to diagnose if you had a 'bad' pair or not without you hearing a second pair
 
Further reading!  A nice post someone made on Reddit.
 
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/3xn1f1/yet_another_x2_post_my_listening_impressions_of_a/

 

[mahajanrahul]

i mentioned in my earlier posts that i was quite underwhelmed by the sound of fidelio x2 for classical music. so i decide to buy new open back headphones specifically for classical music. I have listed few options from my side beyerdynamic dt880 32ohm, sennheiser hd 600, hifiman he 400s. Any suggestion which headphone might suit my needs?

 

[madwolfa]

  i mentioned in my earlier posts that i was quite underwhelmed by the sound of fidelio x2 for classical music. so i decide to buy new open back headphones specifically for classical music. I have listed few options from my side beyerdynamic dt880 32ohm, sennheiser hd 600, hifiman he 400s. Any suggestion which headphone might suit my needs?

 
For classical music I'd say look also at AKG offerings. K712/K7XX.

 

[paradoxology]

   
For classical music I'd say look also at AKG offerings. K712/K7XX.

Agreed.

 

[simonwellander]

I might give them a shot if they provide less clamping force.  

Yes, they did.

 

[mahajanrahul]

   
For classical music I'd say look also at AKG offerings. K712/K7XX.

I have read they need lot of power, i have fiio e17K alpen 2 so i am not sure if it can drive them....otherwise they are highly suggested headphones for classical.

 

[PopcornAddict]

   
I have the original sedan-coloured 598s.  Here are some of my original posts soon after hearing the X2.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723025/philips-fidelio-x2/7305#post_12165313
http://www.head-fi.org/t/723025/philips-fidelio-x2/7305#post_12165395
http://www.head-fi.org/t/541039/sennheiser-hd-598-impressions-thread/5370#post_12168134
 
I had a quick look over my words and still pretty much agree with my initial impressions.  I actually listened to the 598 again last night and almost fell off my seat at how forward the mids were compared to the X2, it's kind of like the singer is shouting at you in comparison.  I still prefer the treble on the 598 simply because I find it a little harsh on the X2 (sssibilance), but I suspect I am either sensitive to it or my E10K is not the best pairing.  I suppose the treble is less refined on the 598 but also more rolled off.
 
The problem is that the X2 should sound recessed in the mids compared to the Senns, but not to the point of being muddy.  Hard to diagnose if you had a 'bad' pair or not without you hearing a second pair
 
Further reading!  A nice post someone made on Reddit.
 
https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/3xn1f1/yet_another_x2_post_my_listening_impressions_of_a/

Thanks.
 
I am quite confident the pair I had were "muddy". Impressions such as "sparkly highs", "sibilance" did not even come close to any of that with my pair. Sibilance was impossible to experience and I am very sensitive to it. From 2-3khz to the peak of the spectrum, they sounded recessed and muddy. Comparisons happened against 598, 668B, 681 EVO, Fidelio L2 (which were a surprisingly great sounding pair, especially for jazz and unplugged), which all sounded VERY bright in comparison. It just didn't seem right to me. Felt off.
 
Will be laying low until reviews confirming non-glued batches show up, as Philips promised.
 
Any experience with ordering from Coolshop btw?

 

[mahajanrahul]

@Hammy You have Sennheiser HD598. Can you comment on how classical music sound with fidelio x2.
 
if you could comment on how these music pieces sound on them that would be great and might give me an idea.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0m2RW4m8xE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COGcCBJAC6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsn4ORNLTJc
 
Thanks

 

[Hammy]

  @Hammy You have Sennheiser HD598. Can you comment on how classical music sound with fidelio x2.
 
if you could comment on how these music pieces sound on them that would be great and might give me an idea.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0m2RW4m8xE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COGcCBJAC6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsn4ORNLTJc
 
Thanks

 
I don't have experience of a lot of different headphones but for me classical always sounded fantastic on the 598.
 
I listened to parts of those videos but they are quite low quality so any observations wouldn't really be fair.  I can say though that classical instruments shine on the 598 - I think strings and percussive instruments are one of their strongest points.
 
Depends how much you want to spend for just one or two genres.  I got my 598s new for €80~ and think they're fantastic, but I strongly suspect the HD600 would be a significant increase in quality.
 
@PopcornAddict That €199 deal they keep running is pretty good.  I haven't personal experience with the seller but they seem reputable.  I almost pulled the trigger with them before Amazon.fr had their €199 sale in December.  I believe (you should check this) that returns would need to be sent to Sweden Denmark, and no idea on whether they pay return postage or not.

 

[Soundizer]

The Fidelio X2 has awful treble peak for young people or those with good sensitivity to higher frequency trebles. IT CAUSES ME PAIN. I DO NOT WANT TO OTHERWISE RETURN THEM AS LOVE EVERYTHING ELSE ABOUT THEM.
For older people and those not so strong in higher frequency hearing they might actually like this uplift.
Philips did audition the change when tuning the X2's but should have included a wider age range i am guessing.


The below extract is from an online review:
"Note that we humans lose our high frequency hearing as we grow old and as I’m not yet a grey fox my high frequency hearing is still ship shape which makes me sensitive to artificially elevated highs commonly done by aging mastering engineers.

The artificial tizzyness in the treble isn’t ear piercingly harsh such as Beyerdynamic T1, Fostex TH600 or Fostex TH900, but it creates a hard edge on some recordings’ female vocals.

The pro of a high frequency boost like this is better detail retrieval. However, boosting the highs to compensate for a driver’s lack of high end detail is not a good choice as it makes the headphones sound less natural.

With electronica, dubstep, rock and instrumental tunes this «flaw» can be quite pleasing, but for compressed pop tracks with female vocals it’s not a good choice of tuning for young people with good high frequency hearing. However, I would not say that the Fidelio X2’s are fatiguing at all. They’re wonderful for long listening session despite all of the above.

Battle artificial treble with parametric EQ?
A tip for those inclined to use DSP to raise the bar of their listening experience: The solution for the X2 was to use a parametric equalizer and lower 9.5kHz by -4dB and use a Q of 1.8. After that they sounded as good and natural as X1 in the treble, but with the superior bass of the X2.""Note that we humans lose our high frequency hearing as we grow old and as I’m not yet a grey fox my high frequency hearing is still ship shape which makes me sensitive to artificially elevated highs commonly done by aging mastering engineers.

The artificial tizzyness in the treble isn’t ear piercingly harsh such as Beyerdynamic T1, Fostex TH600 or Fostex TH900, but it creates a hard edge on some recordings’ female vocals.

The pro of a high frequency boost like this is better detail retrieval. However, boosting the highs to compensate for a driver’s lack of high end detail is not a good choice as it makes the headphones sound less natural.

With electronica, dubstep, rock and instrumental tunes this «flaw» can be quite pleasing, but for compressed pop tracks with female vocals it’s not a good choice of tuning for young people with good high frequency hearing. However, I would not say that the Fidelio X2’s are fatiguing at all. They’re wonderful for long listening session despite all of the above.

Battle artificial treble with parametric EQ?
A tip for those inclined to use DSP to raise the bar of their listening experience: The solution for the X2 was to use a parametric equalizer and lower 9.5kHz by -4dB and use a Q of 1.8. After that they sounded as good and natural as X1 in the treble, but with the superior bass of the X2."

 

[betula]

I felt like to share my thoughts about X2. Owning these cans for half year and following this thread might entitle me to do so.
I sold my HD600 after buying X2. (Woox version, no quality issues at all.) I did like my HD600, stunning headphone imo. Great clarity and detail for a dynamic hp, although the bass department is not the strongest and most defined. With a good desktop amp it can sound great. Especially with classical and instrumental, vocal stuff; where bass is just there like to be a base of the sound, to support the scene where actual music is happening. I listen mostly contemporary music (1995 onwards) mostly with important and detailed bass parts in it. (Psyhedelic amibient etc.) I would say this kind of music is 60-70% of my listening. So as I can't afford to collect headphones, I sold my HD600, because X2 just won me over. So meaty, juicy, big body sound. With great bass. While mostly keeps the details of the Senns. 
 I'd like to mention one important thing. HD600 sounds just thin from less capable sources, but X2 being a low impedance hp doesn't sound thin. But it DOES sound bad. Average, not special. Even V shaped. X2 is not V shaped. It can sound V shaped from poor source. I just do not understand, why it is even advertised like one can use it straight out of a handset. It is bulls***. This kind of ads destroy X2s reputation. (And the reputation of other low impedance hps like HE400s). People believe this, and then start to post crap about how bad that certain hp is. Regardless the impedance a full sized open can will need good power and quality source, or amp. (£200+ DAP or phone/DAP plus £200+ amp/DAC). Otherwise they just sound listenable, not showing their true nature. All the prejudicial 'sentences' regarding X2 root here. They do need good source to shine. And suddenly they became opened, linear, balanced, natural. Far from V shaped. There is a slight bass emphasis compared to other headphones in the competition. But it is slight. We are talking about slight differences. X2s sound is so lively, so full of power and joy, that is hard to beat. According to other thread posters I'd call the sound neutral/natural with a slight bass emphasis, which is far from V shape. (But you need to feed X2 with quality components for this.) X2 is one of the most potent contender under £600.
Of course, these recent QC issues and the many incompetent poster destroyed its reputation. But the sound quality is there. Extremely fun. A bit dark, and less analytical than others, but hey, this is a pro in most cases, not a con.
 I am currently burning in a HE400s. Innerfidelity and Z on youtube both were raving about it, so I thought, I try a planar. Many people prefer 400s over 400i, even over 560. So I got curious. It is too early to say anything, as I want to give 400s the 150 hrs burn in and change the pads for the HM5 ones before I say anything, but I do have some first impressions. There is the promise in the 400s's sound to be more transparent, detailed and clear, but the bass is missing so far. (With stock pads.) It is too early to judge it, so I give them more time, and change the pads for the HM5 ones, but so far even if the clarity is there, and the vocals are more lifelike, they just sound boring and lifeless compared to X2, without signs of life. I am really hoping this will change with burn in and the new pads, I will report back.
 But for now, the emphasis is on the X2s. They are extremely capable headphones. One of the best buys under £600. But give them what they deserve, and judge after.

 

 

[mikluxa]

Hi everyone! Got Philips Fidelio X2 a few days ago. This particular pair seems to be produced by WOOX and I haven't found any quality issues with it. Ear pads collect a lot of dust.
 
The sound seems really good to me. Definitely not "muddy" as described in several previous comments. I currently own Sennheiser HD519 & Momentum on ear G2.
 
Photos: Headphones; WOOX label.

 

[lhayati]

All the European Amazon sites i've noticed seem to share the same stock, all said 1 left and now they all say backordered. So I might place an order now since amazon are doing a £10 off promotion today and since they'd be receiving new stock from Phillips i'd assume. No idea if it would be glueless but fingers crossed!